Background

The Rio Conventions

The Rio Conventions were established at the United Nations Conference on Environmnet and Development (the Rio "Earth Summit") in 1992 and comprise the following three conventions, which aim to address pressing global environmental challenges, to contribute to the implementation of the Agenda 21 and secure a resilient future for people and the planet. The three conventions are intrinsically linked, operating in the same ecosystems and addressing interdependent issues.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is based in Bonn, Germany, andtackles the challenges posed by climate change and greenhouse gas emissions reduction. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is based in Montreal, Canada, and focuses on conserving biodiversity and ensuring the sustainable use of natural resources. The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), is based in Bonn, Germany, and seeks to mitigate the effects of serious droughts and land degradation.

Addressing together the triple planetary crisis – climate change, biodiversity and pollution – and the consequent water crisis has long been a key priority for the EESC. As such, the EESC has been actively taking part in UNFCCC COPs since COP20 in Peru and in the CBD COPs since COP15 in Montreal, as part of the EU delegation and with an observer status.

Climate COPs

Since it took effect in 1994, the UNFCCC's overarching objective has been to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. With 198 Parties, the Convention has near universal membership.

The UNFCCC has designed an international governance system to facilitate the adoption of agreements between the Parties to act on climate change. As such, the UNFCCC has led to the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, which established binding emission reduction targets for some developed countries, and the Paris Agreement in 2015, whose goal is to limit global warming to well below 2ºC, preferably to 1.5 ºC, compared to pre-industrial levels.

The supreme governing body of each of the three treaties (the UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement) is the respective Conference of the Parties, where all signatory States are represented. Therefore, the implementation of the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement is developed by a set of decisions taken by all parties within a complex architecture of bodies presided by the COP of each treaty and supported by the UNFCCC secretariat. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation, informing decisions.

Each year, the three COPs meet to review the implementation of the climate treaties and to take the decisions needed to promote their effective implementation. Since COP20 in Peru, the EESC has been actively taking part in the COPs, as part of the EU delegation and with an observer status, engaging in meaningful conversations, bilateral meetings and side events to represent organised civil society in Europe in the fight against climate change.

Biodiversity COPs

Entered into force in 1993, the CBD has been ratified by 196 Parties and is supported by three main international treaties.

The CBD (1992) itself provides the overarching framework, with three objectives: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (2000) addresses the safe handling, transport, and use of living modified organisms resulting from biotechnology, with a focus on protecting biodiversity and human health. The Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing (2010) further develops the CBD’s third objective by establishing rules to ensure that benefits arising from the use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge are shared fairly with provider countries and Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Together with these treaties, the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022, serves as the current global roadmap for action, setting four long‑term goals for 2050 and 23 targets for 2030 to halt and reverse biodiversity loss through strengthened implementation, finance, and inclusive governance.

To adopt decisions, the parties to the CBD rely on the expertise of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), an independent intergovernmental body established to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being and sustainable development.

Under the CBD, Parties must develop and enforce National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) to translate the CBD’s objectives into action at national level, incorporating biodiversity into national decision-making and relevant plans, programmes and policies. Each COP sets the direction for global biodiversity policy, including strategies, action plans and monitoring frameworks. Since CBD COP15, the EESC has participated actively in CBD COP meetings, as part of the EU delegation and with an observer status, engaging in discussions, consultations and side events to represent European organised civil society in the global effort to protect biodiversity.